Use GPS to save your sample locations

The Soilmentor GPS mapping feature allows you to save the exact locations of where you are doing your soil tests in each field. That way you can very easily come back year after year to the same spot and monitor changes in soil health. We have spoken to many different soil scientists and advisors and we feel that the best way to monitor soil health on your farm is to select specific sample sites and observe trends/changes in soil over time at each site.

As all farmers know, there can be huge amounts of variability, even within a field, so the idea of finding an ‘average’ soil health for the field is difficult, and requires you to have many, many sample sites. So our advice is to just pick 1 or 2 sample sites in a field, and monitor how things change at each site as you change your management practices. To do this you need to go back to more or less the same spot, which is where being able to mark your sample sites on the map makes things easier!

What does this mean?

With our GPS feature, you can save the location of each of your sample sites within each field, so they appear as pins on the map. This means you can view the location of each sample on the map, and the next time you go out soil testing you have a precise point to go back to, to repeat the tests – just follow the map on your phone to find the same spot in the field.

Why does this matter?

Coming back to the same sample sites when monitoring information on your soils is important. It saves lots of time, as you can sample fewer locations in the field but still have a good idea of how your management is affecting soil health! That’s all because by going back to the same location, you reduce most of the variables, so you can be pretty certain that any changes in what you see and record are due to a change in management (or extreme weather conditions!). 

So, now you’ll really know if that cover crop helped improve your rooting depth and VESS score or not! With GPS you can locate your samples sites more accurately, you can view them on a map, and ensure you return to the same spot each time.

Got any questions about GPS and using Soilmentor to monitor soil health? Contact us!